Recently on First Take, Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith talked about their 2023-24 Regular Season MVP picks. The discussion was triggered when guest host Christine Williamson asked Sharpe if Nikola Jokic deserved the MVP. Shannon Sharpe claimed that the 2023 Finals MVP deserves the honor. He wants to reward the consistency that the Joker has shown and cited the case of Joel Embiid who got the 2023 MVP after multiple years of dominating the scoring column. Meanwhile, SAS had a different opinion on this.
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“I think Nikola Jokic win his third in five or six years. I think that if Luka won it, I wouldn’t be disappointed,” Sharpe told Stephen A. Smith
While Sharpe thought Nikola Jokic had the strongest case, Stephen A. Smith preferred Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win his maiden MVP title. He brought his stats and alluded to Oklahoma City Thunder’s top seed positioning in the Western Conference.
“My choice number one is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is the number one seed in the West as we speak. He has played in 71 out of 74 games this season. He is third in the NBA, averaging 30.3 points per game, behind Luka and Giannis,” Stephen A. Smith argued to Shannon Sharpe
Apart from that, the long-term ESPN analyst pointed out his shooting percentage of 53.9% from the field and 36.5% from the three-point line. He also added that the springy guard has captured 30 or more points in 5- games.
On the other hand, he also highlighted his stats against the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets. The guard has put up 26 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds per game and had a 3-1 Regular Season series advantage. Meanwhile, Sharpe then highlighted how the OKC PG is also the league leader in steals. Apart from Stephen A. Smith, Shaquille O’Neal has also backed Shai’s MVP case multiple times.
Shaquille O’Neal wants Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to nab the MVP
During a recent Inside the NBA segment, Shaq backed the Thunder’s superstar to clinch his first MVP title. Like Stephen A. Smith, the big fella argued based on stats and his contribution to the Thunder’s record. He especially looked impressed with SGA crossing the 30 points barrier 50 times
“In all considerations, MVP is SGA. He is one of the few guys to have 50 30-point games. And he meets my criteria. Best player in the game and his team is 49 and 21[currently, first seed with 52 wins and 22 losses],” Shaq stated on Inside the NBA
To this, Candace Parker retorted that if Jokic was doing what he has done this season “for the first time season”, would Diesel have considered him for the MVP? To which the 2000 NBA MVP resolutely replied “No”, once again highlighting SGA’s scoring prowess.
Meanwhile, Jamal Crawford echoed Shaq’s take and picked Gilgeous-Alexander as his MVP pick too. However, he also admitted that Luka isn’t talked about enough and deserves more credit.
